Montag, April 30, 2007

It is well known that the German aristocracy doesn’t sometimes have limits. In Central Europe for centuries there have been many problems and quarrels with their neighbours trying to clarify their limits, that is to say, where the German aristocracy’s estate holdings begins or ends.

But this European custom wasn’t exclusive of the German aristocracy. It was depicted in the Polish film that was shown last night at the Schloss theatre, “Cud Nad Wisla” ( Miracle At The Vistula ), a film directed by Herr Ryszard Boleslawski based in the decisive battle ( won by the Poles ) between Second Polish Republic and Soviet Russia in what is known as the Polish-Soviet war.

“Cud Nad Wisla” was the last Polish film by Herr Boleslawski, a stage actor from an early age, who studied under Herr Stanislavsky at the Moscow Art Theater and who began after this film a successful career in Amerika working with famous actors of the time.

“Cud Nad Wisla” is a remarkable film in spite of the fact that some of the reels are lost forever. The film is in 8 acts but is only three of them are available. Still, there is no problem to enjoy Herr Boleslawski’s skilful direction.

The film depicts two Polish love stories. The first involves Dame Krysta (Jadwiga Smosarska, a famous Polish actress of that time). She’s a daughter of a wealthy landholder who was brought up by the Granowski family and is in love with Jerzy, elder son of the Granowski’s. The second is between Dame Ewa, daughter of a hospital porter and a doctor who she loves, Jan Powada.

It is Christmas Eve and such merry sentiments among those couples will be threatened with the coming of the Bolshevik soldiers. This complicates love matters but everything finally will end up happily for both couples with the defeat of the Bolshevists by the Poles at the battle of Warsaw. The film ends with the wedding of both couples… in what this German aristocrat thinks that it is a even more terrible fate, to be married instead of occupied by the Bolshevists!!…

The film narrative of “Cud Nad Wisla” is very fluid and ingenious, keeping in mind that the Polish industry at that time were not a very important or generally remarkable one technically. The picture includes double exposures or the use of different parts of the screen as a substitute of combined close-ups. The story has a certain epic and classic quality, developing superbly the different parts of the story… first in depicting the future plans of those lovers and then showing how the war influenced and affected their lives. The result is a perfectly paced and structured film.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must to delimit the Schloss limits beyond the legal limits.

Donnerstag, April 26, 2007

Continuing with the exclusive Polish silent film festival at the Schloss and after dealing with some servant quarrels ( it must be the bad influence of those communist films that are showing in the Schloss ), on this last mournful night was shown “Bialy Slad” ( White Track )a film directed by Herr Adam Krzeptowski.

Herr Krzeptowski was very fond of the Polish mountains; this was his first and only film as a director although he directed before some sort of publicity film about Zakopane, place in where he lived in the heart of the Tatry Mountains.“Bialy Slad” featured as the main characters amateur actors, who were by that time well-known Polish skiers, among them Andrzej, Herr Krzeptowski’s brother.

Now, this German Count recommends the study of Polish personal names before reading the confusing and very Polish plot of the film…

The film depicts the story of two orphans, Zoska and Wladek; Zoska is in love with Jasiek, a hunter, but this is an unrequited love because Jasiek loves Hanka, who at the same time is desired by the handsome and strong Andrzej, a mountain climber.So, love is in the cold Polish air…

One day Hanka and Andrzej go for a walk up to the mountains but an avalanche will interfere with their idyll; Jasiek will try to rescue the unfortunate couple but he only will find Andrzej but no trace of Hanka.When Andrzej realizes that Hanka has not been found, he will try to find her alone but without success; the next day he will be rescued in an unconscious state by Zoska and brought to his home where he will find that Hanka is safe and waiting for him.Jasiek sees this happy Polish love scene and realizes that he will never get the love of Hanka so he goes by white track to look for peace and tranquillity in the Polish mountains.

This film is highly influenced by Herr Arnold Fanck’s mountain films but transcribed to the atmosphere of Polish mountains with very similar intentions: beautiful nature shots where the audience can see skiing competitions, traditional customs and various sky races with the excuse, in this case, of an ordinary plot.

Those incredible and beautiful shots ( the film includes skilful and thrilling subjective shots ) received awards at the 1st International Venice Film Festival, appropriate prizes for a film that was made to celebrate and praise-unpretentiously-those beautiful landscapes.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must polish off some cocktails.

Mittwoch, April 25, 2007

Herr Kino Eye wrote: "You got me. I can't tag my review on yours. As far as I know, I have never seen a Polish silent. I can tell you that Murnau filmed the castle scenes of Nosferatu in what is now Slovakia, in Orava castle in the Tatras, quite close to the Polish border. So I've ALMOST seen a Polish film".

Und Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien replied: "To see silent Polish films, to listen in its integrity the opera "Der Ring Des Nibelungen" by Herr Wagner or to dance dizzy polkas in a soirée, are good examples of the eccentricity of the German aristocracy... anyway, don't worry about that ( the eccentricity not the Germans ) because even the Poles usually don't watch silent Polish films either".

Montag, April 23, 2007

After a long period of troubles and disagreements between Germany and Poland, this German Count thought necessary to forget all those dissensions. The best way to do that was to show a Polish silent film programme at the Schloss theater. Obviously this German aristocrat doesn’t lack polish but it is time to give polish to those unknown Polish nitrates.

“Mocny Czlowiek” ( A Strong Man ) was the first of that film programme, a film directed by Herr Henryk Szaro. Both film and director are considered as the most important and representative of the achievements of the Polish industry in the silent film era.

Henryk Szaro was a theater director and screenwriter and also fond of adapting important oeuvres of Polish literature; due to his Jew heritage (he also directed films in Yiddish), he died at the Warsaw ghetto.

“Mocny Czlowiek” was one of those adaptations that Herr Szaro liked so much; this time the film was based in a controversial novel by the Polish author Herr Stanislaw Przybyszewsky, known as “the discoverer of the human naked soul”, a literary reflection that it is not exclusive of that time or country. This can be seen in the plot of the film that depicts the story of Herr Henryk Bieleck ( performed by the Russian actor Herr Gregori Chmara ) who is a mediocre journalist that, dreaming of fame and glory, doesn’t hesitate to lead his ill friend Jerzy Gorski, a writer, to death in order to appropriate his unknown manuscript. It’s the perfect way to achieve success without effort for Bielecki.

The film is very interesting for many reasons. The first one it is the present importance of the story, that is to say, the pursuit of fame and glory without, if possible, by the sweat of the brow (about this, the aristocracy are experts in the subject). It is a common subject in those silent times and even more in this longhaired times. Hypocrisy and immorality is present to such an extent that the main character doesn’t care if he finally achieves what he wants. That’s not to mention that his wife, Lucja, shares more or less the same opinion, in spite of the fact that she discovers the fraud. She only wants that her lover will love her until the end of times. Problems appear precisely when Bielecki falls in love with Nina, a beautiful and idle woman, and that will ignite the wrath of Lucja. It is an interesting reflection, certainly, on the humanity and the sense of justice that only appears when one’s is cuckolded…

In its technical aspects, “Mocny Czlowiek” its a remarkable film, using a vigorous film narrative (camera movements or dissolves and over impression shots) for the developing of the story. What struck this German Count is the editing of the film by Herr Szaro, thrilling images and dramatic intensity that ends Bielecki’s farce in the farce of a theater, in what it is a curious and bizarre première.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must order polish on the coat of arms of his Teutonic family.

Donnerstag, April 19, 2007

“Her Bridal Night-Mare” it is another of Herr Al Christie’s films produced by Mack Sennett. But this time it is a more elaborate film than their early ones, and even it is a funnier and more entertaining film in many moments (taking into account what could be considered funny or amusing for a German aristocrat.)

Another special characteristic of this oeuvre is that the film stars Dame Colleen Moore, that fashionable flapper of the 20’s. She’s a better actress than many of the other ones, namely Dame Betty Compson, that starred in many of Al Christie’s B early pictures.

Dame Ora Carew, an unknown and discreet actress who wrote only this story, wrote the film story. It is about the problems that our heroine, Mary (Colleen Moore) has in order to get married with her fiancée Jack ( Earle Rodney ). She has two suitors and the one left behind will try to obstruct the wedding at any cost. The film includes murder attempts, suicide attempts and theft attempts. So if those are the usual subjects or problems before matrimony, this German count is glad to continue being an esteemed bachelor.

As this aristocrat said before, this is a more elaborated Al Christie oeuvre, in the pacing, calculated and full of classic gags as well as in camera and visual tricks. Especially significant is the vertigo scene that our heroine suffers and the camera tracking of her street wandering.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must keep away from his fat and rich Teutonic heiresses’ matrimony proposals.

Montag, April 16, 2007

Herr Tommi Hicks wrote: "While I would agree with this non-de-plumer's assessment of Christie's work in the late teens, I would submit that Christie's comedies after 1920 rivaled those of Sennett and Roach".

Finally, Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien said: "Talking about this and in German, don't miss next week the exception proves the rule, that is to say, Herr Al Christie's "Her Bridal Night-Mare" (1920) reviewed by this Teutonic aristocrat in his modern diary".

Freitag, April 13, 2007

Herr Al Christie was a prolific film director who made a lot of trifling short comedies during the early silent times for the ephemeral glory of ordinary actors who starred in the majority of those productions, namely the comedy team Eddie Lyons & Lee Moran and Dame Betty Compson who is the lustreless star of “As Luck Would Have It”. For these reasons, this German aristocrat could say that Herr Al Christie was a kind of early and significant pioneer director of silent B pictures.

“As Luck Would Have It” is a good example of Herr Al Christie typical films: simple history, poor performances and scarce technical improvements although in this case the film includes some outer shots of racing cars for the joy of the longhaired audience.

The plot besides being simplistic and humourless is ordinary for this German Count; in order to be in fashion, Dame Compson wants to be a nurse during the old WWI times; not to mention that she also wants her husband to be an ambulance driver too or something like that ( besides ordinary, Dame Compson's character is a little dim too) so it would be better that he starts to begin training as a race car driver.

The Dame Compson’s character stupidity leads her to believe, and she proclaims this without shame, that maybe thanks to her husband's merits “they will make him a Duke or something’”… MEIN GOTT!!... so easy she thinks that it is to achieve a title of nobility even in Amerika??!!!.. if perhaps he was driving an elegant Hispano-Suizo but an ordinary race car??...

It is evident that this film is disrespectful to the aristocracy, not to mention its boldness to laugh at WWI in such ordinary way, enough demerits for this German Count to call for an urgent meeting to begin legal or illegal procedures to arrest this director wherever he is.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must discuss with his advocates their nonexistent wages.

Donnerstag, April 12, 2007

Herr Eric Stott wrote: "I beg to differ, but Stroheim directed a talkie- "Walking Down Broadway". It wasn't released as he shot it, but some of the footage is is the recut version "Hello Sister" And weren't there some talking sequences in Murnau's "City Girl"?".

Und Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien answered: "Well, this German Count was thinking about those great silent film directors as responsible of the final result of their oeuvres.

In Herr Murnau case, Fox respected the ultimate and silent editing of "Our Daily Bread", but ordered that their employees should film again new talk sequences besides re edit the film, this time with the title of "City Girl"; fortunately for the silent film fans, that talkie version has disappeared forever and fortunately too the original and final silent "version" of Murnau's "Our Daily Bread" ( instead now with the confusing title of "City Girl" ) it is the film that has survived till today because William Fox didn't touched and interfered with his Amerikan hands the Murnau's silent editing of "Our Daily Bread" because he has other terrible ideas about those last films of the German director, namely re edit and release talkie versions of "Four Devils" and "Our Daily Bread-City Girl" as finally did.

How disrespectful were the longhaired, even in those times, to the German artists!".

Montag, April 09, 2007

Together with Stroheim and Murnau, Herr Mauritz Stiller is one of the great directors in cinema history who solely directed silent films during his whole career. Even though the majority of his work has been lost forever, some titles have survived: Herr Arnes Pengar (1919), Sangen Om Dem Eldröda Blomman (1919), “Erotikon” (1920) and “Gunnar Hedes Saga” (1923). These famous films are enough to confirm that Mauritz Stiller has been and are one of the best directors of the seventh art through its long history. He has been able to elevate the “silent art” to that great level that we can still now enjoy and appreciate.

One important turn in his work was his last movie made in Sweden: “Gösta Berlings Saga”. This film had disastrous consequences for his career, as this Germanic count will narrate later on.

Stiller, together with Victor Sjöström, were the “father founders” of the Swedish cinema. Together with Sjöström, he is the most famous film director of the 20’s. This notoriety was not only in his country because his film “Sangen On Den Eldröda Blomman”(1918) made him world famous, a status confirmed definitively with that masterpiece “Herr Arnes Pengar” (1919).

It is very difficult to write about Stiller, even in Germanic, because it is not easy to find all the adjectives to define his great career; his work had the beauty of a great stylist able to make master pieces in such different genres as “saga” (those great stories of the Swedish literature) or that most sophisticated comedy (“Erotikon” (1920) ). He was a director who had a big influence, even on German directors as Herr Lubitsch who was then defining his unmistakable “touch”.

“The legend of Gösta Berling” is related to the “epic” part of his work. There are big stories replete with character with different backgrounds in several situations that the Nordic director manages very well.

The film is an adaptation of a book written by the famous Swedish author Selma Lagerloff, who by the way, had many disagreements with Stiller’s adaptation (ah…., the eternal “auteur” ego problems, almost as classic among the aristocrats’!). Changes were made due to Stiller’s lack of respect for the text, who changed it according to the necessity of the film, more specifically, according to the “visual needs” of it. As this Germanic count mentioned before, Stiller is a great stylist, always looking for visual beauty (although it is important to mention that he does not look for hollow images or simple postcards). His interest is very different. In a way, he is delighted on the aesthetics of certain scenarios to show us the most miserable side, the squalor of the whole surroundings.

In spite of those stylistics disagreements between author and director, this Teutonic count asserts that the cinematographic adaptation is excellent. Keeping in mind the fact that it is a very dense and complicated novel, filled with characters.

“The Leyend of Gösta Berling” tells us the story of Gösta, a drunkard minister who is expelled from the priesthood for his “habit” (weird Nordic tradition, those expellings…). But the bigger problem with his parish is his truthfulness. Jobless, Gösta finishes in Värmland, a state managed by the people of Ekeby.

Gösta’s strong personality and his special charm with women will bring him many problems. Two powerful families full of hypocrisy, lies and adultery; rule two estates in Värmland and they will surround Gösta with plenty of intrigue, confusing him and costing him a lot of problems to which he was a stranger to begin with.

Only at the end of the movie, will our hero will get his redemption from the hand of Elisabeth, performed by the fascinating Greta Garbo.

It has to be mentioned that for many long-haired, Stiller is still “only” known as the finder and creator of the divine Greta Garbo; which it is true because thanks to Stiller, Ms Garbo got her first great film performance due to her appearance in this movie. This is a great injustice because reduces Stiller’s creations to a second place.

It is compulsory to praise all the actor’s great interpretations in this movie. They were really memorable, not forced at all if we take into consideration that around that time it was something very difficult to obtain with certain adaptations or argumentative plots that tended to excesses. It is a movie where also big natural spaces predominate, another of recurrent theme of Stiller. This movie combines the beauty of the frozen landscapes with the danger in them.

As this Germanic count said before, the success that “The legend of Gösta Berling” brought to Stiller and Ms Garbo had a different repercussion in their future careers: for her, the beginning of a mythic career, a cinematographic icon that prevails and still impresses us. For him, the beginning of the end as a director when he started a new phase in the United States that lasted for four unhappy years.

Watching the formal and stylist beauty of “The legend of Gösta Berling”, one realises, even the oblivious Germanic aristocracy, the great loss for the cinema that occurred with Stiller’s premature death. He was a fundamental director for both the Nordic and global cinema. His great work has been timeless.

And now, if you allow me, I have to leave you momentarily because this Germanic count has an appointment with a Swedish sweetie.